Local and global society, style, cultures, and travel.
I created a one-minute video tour of the beautiful Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento. I used several photos taken by my father,… Read More »Leland Stanford Mansion SHP: One-Minute Video Tour
The Smithsonian Network had a documentary On Demand about world-class British hang glider Judy Leden who wanted to fly with the Andean condors in Patagonia… Read More »Flying with condors
Back in 1994 when I lived on the Central Coast, I was the night auditor at an Embassy Suites hotel for most of a year. During most of the time I worked there, it wasn’t actually an Embassy Suites, but rather the “Pacific Suites Hotel”. From what I gathered, either the owner did not want to pay the association fees to be an Embassy Suites, or they were not up to Embassy’s standards and lost their accreditation. Shortly after new owners bought the hotel, they reinstated the Embassy Suites affiliation, and then proceeded to replace all the upper and middle management (including me) with their own people. (Oh well.) I was immediately hired by the smaller, but very nice, Best Western Shelter Cove Lodge (now the “Inn at the Cove“; see my update below) overlooking the ocean. While most of the nights at both properties were pretty routine, there were a few wild times there: fire alarms and even a real fire, drunken and domestic fights, medical emergencies, rowdy beach parties, and even a near miss by an airplane.
Read More »A night in the life of a hotel night auditor
“The beautiful and thin” are not the only women “valued and loved” by our society, at least that was the conclusion after a week of discussion in my Women’s Health class. Most people felt that appearances did make a difference in how people were perceived and accepted, but not in whether they were able to find love and acceptance. Appearance, good personal hygiene, and a modicum of fashion sense were important for initially attracting attention, but may not be critical to maintaining a relationship. Read more after the jump.
My original thoughts on the Annie Lennox song, “It’s Your Duty to Be Beautiful” in our ongoing class discussion launched the most discussed message thread for the activity. It was an interesting and illuminating discussion about women and self-image. It also discusses ideas about the physical ideal, fantasy ideal, romantic ideal, and how they all play a part in attracting and keeping men’s interest. Enjoy!
Written by Kellie Burns on April 24, 2008 10:46 PM (CC-BY-SA Licensed):
Will,
I think that you and Michael are both correct. Appearance and a great attitude are both attractive to me. I enjoy spending time with a people who have a great personality. Women with high self-esteem are hot! On the other hand, I find women who are a healthy weight (not skinny), clear skin, well-dressed, neatly trimmed hair, tan, and a “nice” breast size attractive.
It is to my understanding that all men have a need to “relieve” themselves through-out the week. (I know I’m treading thin waters, and I don’t want to cross the netiquette line. I still wanted to bring up the topic, though, because I felt it could be relevant.) Honestly, if I were a male and had the need to visit websites to release tension, I wouldn’t look for a site with women with mustaches and/or unibrows. I think that I may find a site with the stereotypical woman to carry out my fantasy. If I were a male, I would probably look at beautiful women as they passed me downtown. I would notice thin, well-groomed, well-dressed women more than I noticed the woman in plain, baggy clothes that hasn’t had a hair cut in 12 months, and is overweight.
On the contrary, as a woman, I feel intimidated by women in little clothes and “booming” bodies. I don’t understand why I feel so uncomfortable around them. I know that I am strong, smart, and pretty. Somehow, these women are still capable of making me feel inadequate.
I do wonder if everyone has something about their body that they would like to be different. I have a hard time believing that there is someone out there that is completely excited about every single physical aspect of their body. I think that some people have just learned to accept themselves for who they are, and in turn, they focus on more fun things in life. That doesn’t mean that they are completely satisfied with what they were dealt in physical traits. It just means that they believe that there are more important things in life than obsessive calorie counting.
Wow. Thank you for the great and thought provoking reply.
I agree with you that it is unlikely that most men would actively seek out overweight, neglectful, or even frumpy women to help “release tension” (though the term chubby chasers was invented for a reason). I think there is a difference between a “fantasy ideal” and a “relationship ideal”.
Read More »It’s Your Duty to Be Beautiful: Beauty is as beauty does (Responses, Part 1)
Tracy Mitchell weighs in with her opinion on discrimination (or lack thereof) of women who are not skinny and beautiful. She also provides some interesting background information on the song “It’s Your Duty to Be Beautiful.” I respond and also mention similar themes in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.
My latest class assignment is to read the words of the song, “It’s Your Duty to Be Beautiful” popularized by Annie Lennox in the 1990s. We are then to discuss if we agree or disagree with the statement:
“Only the beautiful and thin are valued and loved. The non-skinny or non-pretty woman does not fit in and will face discrimination, stereotypes, and fewer social relationships. The pressure to achieve the ‘ideal’ is so strong we do not question the implications behind teaching young women how to be perfect and loved.”
It’s Your Duty to Be Beautiful
Keep young and beautiful. It’s your duty to be beautiful.
Keep young and beautiful, If you want to be loved.
Don’t fail to do your stuff With a little powder and a puff.
Keep young and beautiful, If you want to be loved.It you’re wise, exercise all the fat off. Take if off over here, over there.
When you’re seen anywhere with your hat off, Wear a Marcelled wave in your hair.
Take care of all those charms, And you’ll always be in someone’s arms.
Keep young and beautiful, If you want to be loved.—Al Dubin and Harry Warren, Keep Young and Beautiful [Recorded by Annie Lennox], on Dive [CD], New York: RCA, 1992.
As much as I would love to say that the song is totally wrong, I can’t. For some people (not me) skinny, perfectly made up, ultra enhanced and mostly unrealistic beauty IS the epitome of beauty. To those people, this song is an accurate portrayal of beauty and the challenges needed to meet it.
That being said, I tend to buck convention, and what is inside is far more important than the exterior. Whether the person is skinny, obese, or anywhere in between… has a unibrow or perfectly plucked and curved eyebrows… a beauty spot or a hairy mole… what the person does, how they live their life, how they treat the lowest of their fellow man is far more important — and beautiful to me.
I would much rather marry someone who is overweight and happy than one who is the picture of perfection and miserable trying to stay that way.
Read More »It’s Your Duty to Be Beautiful: Beauty is as beauty does
Traditionally, families have been groups of related people living together. In such family groups, the able-bodied young to middle-aged adults generally provided a supportive and nurturing environment for the infants, children, and elderly family members. Families often lived in community groups, and the male adults (fathers and teen males) would provide sustenance for the families through hunting, fishing, or farming activities. The younger adult women (mothers and teen females) would care for the youngest family members, clean, cook, tend the livestock, and otherwise “keep house”. The elderly women would often teach the young girls and boys the history of the family and other things that children needed to know as they journeyed into adulthood. Elderly men would usually sit around, discussing matters of great importance among themselves, as well as offering unsolicited advice to the rest of the family.
From this early family paradigm, we can see where much of the stereotypical family elements of a “traditional family” of the 1950s developed.Read More »How the ‘traditonal family’ unit has changed into the ‘current family’ unit
At the conclusion of the week-long discussion concerning inequality between women and men, we were to write a summary of the discussions and replies along with our conclusions. Here is my wrap-up…
Read More »Conclusion: Two centuries of progress with more to go
One of the students on my Women’s Health class responded to my earlier post concerning inequality between women and men. She commented that she worked in a medical practice where inequality did not seem to be present. She asked me if I was interested in a career in medicine. She also asked me to further explain what I meant about doctors sometimes under-medicating women because they thought that the women’s complaints were just in their head. Here is my response…
Read More »Reply: Two centuries of progress with more to go
I am currently taking a course in Contemporary Women’s Health as the final requirement to earn my Associates Degree. One of the class discussions concerned inequality between women and men today. We were to answer whether or not we felt that there was any and if it could be changed or if it was a natural part of society. Here is my response…
Read More »Two centuries of progress with more to go
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
by HAZEL COURTENEY—Last updated at 09:58am on 22 November 2007
Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque.
But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region’s greatest wonders are concealed.
Hall of the Earth: An amazing room built on the “supernatural” visions of its creator
Here, 100ft down and hidden from public view, lies an astonishing secret—one that has drawn comparisons with the fabled city of Atlantis and has been dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World” by the Italian government.
Read More »Eighth wonder of the world? Stunning, secret underground temples
Ok, there might actually be some deaths in ball pits, but not due to heroin-laced needles or copperhead snake nests inside of McDonald’s, Burger King’s,… Read More »Debunking Urban Legends – No deaths in ball pits
PETITON: http://www.petitiononline.com/mbpav/petition.html
STORY: The Myrtle Beach Pavilion will close Sept. 24 taking with it a symbol of the beach for generations of vacationers. Developers plan to replace the landmark with high-end condos, hotel towers, etc.